- Cameron Suafoa announced that he is leaving rugby
- The blues star, 25, is undergoing cancer treatment.
- He plans to return once he returns to full health.
Cameron Suafoa will take a break from rugby to complete cancer radiation treatment, he announced his decision on Monday.
The Blues forward, 25, played two Super Rugby Pacific matches last month but will retire for a short period as he continues treatment for his illness.
Suafoa was diagnosed last November and had a tumor removed, and says his perspective has changed since the bombshell news.
“I get tired very easily,” Suafoa said in a video released by the club. ‘In the mornings I’m pretty good, I just woke up, so I’m usually full of energy, but after 12 or 1, that’s when I’m usually decreasing in terms of fatigue.
‘In my opinion, if I let this bog me down and keep thinking about it, it just won’t help me move forward.
Cameron Suafoa says he will take a step away from rugby due to his battle with cancer
The 25-year-old said he was unable to compete while undergoing radiotherapy.
“I don’t want to be stuck saying ‘why me’ all the time, if I can take something positive from this and come back stronger and fitter and hopefully try to pick up where I left off.”
Suafoa played against the Hurricanes on 9 March, before playing against the Waratahs in Sydney a week later.
He had undergone radiation the day before, flew to New South Wales the night before the match and came off the bench for his 20th Super Rugby appearance.
He played two games for the All Blacks last year and remains determined to succeed in rugby once he has completed his treatment.
Suafoa’s teammate Britt Hastings-Kutty was impressed by the rugby star’s mental toughness. The couple met when they were 17 years old.
“We’ve done it, but it’s been difficult,” Hastings-Kutty said of her ordeal.
‘Cam is incredibly humble and makes this shit look easy.
“He comes to training every day and says he’s fine and no one would know he’s been going through this.”